Recommended Reading The Boys In The Boat

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Recommended Reading: The Boys in the Boat On Fridays, I have been recommending books. Last Friday, I recommended Unbroken. Today I recommend The Boys in the Boat  by Daniel James Brown.  I am listening to the book currently. Once again the narrator is Edward Herrmann and he does an excellent job bringing the story to life. My thanks to Fox Rothschild partner, Jacqueline Carolan for both recommendations. On his website, Daniel James Brown describes the book this way: The Boys in the Boat celebrates the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing teamâ€"nine working class boys who stormed the rowing world, transformed the sport, and galvanized the attention of millions of Americans. Why should you read this book? I think you will get two important points from the book. I found a USA Today article: Rowing teaches teamwork lessons  from 10 years ago focusing on the teamwork required for Crew and how it relates to business.  I hope you will read the article. I found this quote insightful. Leaders must understand that team building is as much exclusive as it is inclusive. In sports and business, lives aren’t on the line. But team bonds are established the same way. I hate to use the word, but high-performance teams are cults. You’re on a mission from God. That’s what appealing to the spirit is all about. Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger. That’s their greatest desire. I found another article I recommend: Lessons in teamwork from rowing. I was inspired by these words in the article: That excitement and physicality is undoubtedly part of any rower’s experience. But talk to them about the most important teamwork lessons they’ve taken from the sport and they will begin to speak of values: trust, dedication, selflessness, determination, honesty and commitment. In truth the list could be longer. Ultimately it is a transformational experience, not only in the sense of taking an individual’s performance to a level they may only have dreamt was possible, but also how the spirit of teamwork transcends a person’s ego. What a great combination for lawyers in a law firm. Are your lawyers part of a transformational experience and are your lawyers taking their performance to a level they may only have dreamt was possible? Does the spirit of teamwork in your firm transcend your lawyers’ ego? Finally, do your lawyers, more than anything else, want to be part of something bigger than their individual practices? If so, I want to practice law in your firm.   I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.